CHARLOTTE, N.C., June 12, 2017 ⏤ First there was Colin Kaepernick. Then came Meryl Streep. Now it’s the entire Saudi Arabian national soccer team that demonstrates everything you need to know about Islamic culture prior to a Football Federation of America (FFA) match against Australia over the weekend.

The FFA informed the Saudis that they would be holding a minute of silence to honor the Australians who lost their lives in a recent terrorist attack in London.

Saudi team officials responded by advising the FFA that such observances were not part of their culture. Thus when the pause took place, the Saudi team milled around the soccer field as the Australian team lined up in silence.

Adding to the tasteless display of cultural animosity were shouts from the stands by Saudi fans who continued to make their obnoxious voices heard throughout the proceedings.

Kaepernick and Streep took advantage of venues which only they and a few others could use to promote their beliefs. The complaint against them was not that they did not have the right to be heard, but that they took advantage of their celebrity to make their points. Both could have easily held press conferences to make their opinions known rather than hijacking events attended by thousands.

The Saudi team could have remained on the sidelines or in the locker room until the brief ceremony was over. Their public display was no different from the behavior of Muslims who refuse to assimilate into the new societies they are invading from the Middle East on a daily basis.

Saudi Arabia is the birthplace of Islam. It gave rise to Wahhabism, the most extreme form of Islamic fundamentalism in the world today and the seed of every major terrorist organization, including al-Qaeda, ISIS and Boko Haram.

A moment of silence does not go against Saudi tradition. One London newspaper, “The Guardian”, quickly found several recent tweets from sporting events in the Middle East over the past few years which showed teams or fans observing a moment of silence to honor the King of Saudi Arabia, and another which involved a Saudi professional team standing quietly just prior to a club match.

In fact, prayer is one of the five basic pillars of Islam. Muslims pray five times each day, do they not? Would another moment of silence be too much too ask? Apparently yes.

These are the very people who claim they get no respect around the world. They are perpetually “victimized” by other religions and societies. They justify every move they make in their daily lives with the teachings of a madman who lived 14 centuries ago.

Saudis have been observing several moments of silence on a daily basis for more than 1,400 years for a man who was a pedophile, rapist, warrior, and liar. A man who Muslims claim was “perfect.” Go figure.

Perhaps the collective act of protest had a deeper meaning for the Saudi players. Perhaps it would not play well on television screens back home if the team were seen to honor the infidel victims of an ISIS attack. That seems to be a more likely answer.

One imam suggested that the refusal to participate was due to an Islamic belief that “it is not a sin for a Muslim to kill a non-believer.”

Another Muslim spokesman, Sheikh Mohammad Tawhidi, refutes the idea that Muslim culture does not memorialize the dead with a moment of silence. Rather, the sheik claims the team did not participate because they agree with the jihadists and their objectives.

How quickly things change. How rapidly people conveniently forget things that are conveniently forgettable.

Last week an Indianapolis billboard blasted Islamic beliefs with a message that was said to “enrage Muslims.”

Forget the fact that every point on the billboard was true. Forget the fact that there was no mention of the religion or the person being referred to in the message.

It was guilt by association. Muslims recognized the truth immediately because it was, indeed, true and they knew it. Islamists had no illusion that the message was directed toward Islam. Again because it was true.

Yet, in their defiance in Australia, the Saudi national soccer team stood as one against a false premise that Islam does not condone such traditions as a moment of silence.

To Kaepernick, Streep and the Muslim community, you have a right to state your opinions, just as others have the same right not to pay attention to them.

From now on take your phony road show elsewhere and do it in the proper context with a little class.

About the Author: Bob Taylor is a veteran writer who has traveled throughout the world. Taylor was an award winning television producer/reporter/anchor before focusing on writing about international events, people and cultures around the globe. He is founder of The Magellan Travel Club (www.MagellanTravelClub.com)

Bob Taylor has been travel writer for more than three decades. Following a career as an award winning sports producer/anchor, Taylor’s media production business produced marketing presentations for Switzerland Tourism, Rail Europe, the Finnish Tourist Board, Japan Railways Group, the Swedish Travel & Tourism Council and the Swiss Travel System among others. He is founder of The Magellan Travel Club (www.MagellanTravelClub.com) and his goal is to visit 100 countries or more during his lifetime.